A stone-carver is hired to make a memorial for a dragon's favorite human. The dragon keeps rejecting every version because grief has made remembering difficult, and finishing the work requires a friendship neither of them is willing to call a replacement.
A minor god follows an ordinary mortal who has stopped making offerings. The mortal is still alive and content, which is the one outcome the god has never learned to understand.
A cleaner who once trained as a dancer finds dust moving through the routines she abandoned. Following its small performances reveals a neighbor's hidden history and a chance to return to movement without pretending her body or life has stood still.
A retired ferry keeper discovers the harbor's enormous sea monster cannot float. Teaching it means asking a town built on heroic monster stories to welcome an embarrassingly ordinary beginner.